Recommended Art Exhibitions in October 2025

NPO Aoyama Design Forum presents the recommended exhibitions of art galleries and museums in October 2025. In addition to the schedule of events, we will provide you with detailed information such as the works on display. Please check the website of each museum for current opening hours before visiting.

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka "The Venus of a New Age! Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Art Deco"

Commemorating the centennial of Art Deco since its emergence in 1925, this exhibition showcases a diverse collection of items portraying women—posters, jewelry, dresses, perfume bottles, and automobiles. Explore the elegance and modernity of 100 years ago through iconic designs that define a new Venus of our time.

Dates: October 4, 2025 - January 4, 2026
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka 
Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (last admission: 16:30)
Closed: Mondays, 10/14, 11/4, 25, and 12/30 to 1/1 (open if Monday is a holiday)
Fee: Adults 2,000, High School/University Students 1,600, Elementary/Junior High Students 600
URL: https://tinyurl.com/54uadp7f

Tokyo Art Museum "Natsuki Takayama: Still-formless Landscape Body"

This solo exhibition showcases Natsuki Takayama’s unique method of carving into layers of acrylic paint. Through sculpture and installations, she invites viewers to physically experience the space beyond vision within a building designed by Tadao Ando.

Dates: October 4 - December 14, 2025
Venue: Tokyo Art Museum
Hours: 11:00 - 18:30 (last admission 18:00)
Fee: 500 (General), 400 (Students), 300 (Children)
URL: https://tinyurl.com/5x2uebtd

Fukuda Art Museum & Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture "Uemura Shōen and the Trajectory of Bijin-ga"

池田蕉園《もの詣で・春の日》 1907年・1908年　 福田美術館蔵（通期展示）

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Uemura Shōen, the Fukuda Art Museum presents 28 of her masterworks. The Saga Arashiyama Museum features ukiyo-e and genre paintings by artists such as Gion Seitoku and Kaburaki Kiyokata. This joint exhibition allows visitors to explore the lineage of bijin-ga (paintings of beautiful women) across two museums.

Dates: October 11, 2025 - January 18, 2026
Venue: Fukuda Art Museum & Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture
Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (last admission: 16:30)
Closed: 11/11, 12/2, 16, 30-31, and 1/1
Fee: Please confirm at the official websites
URL: Fukuda Art Museum / Saga Arashiyama Museum

Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM] "The Metabolic Lift Project"

This experimental project by Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr, and Steve Berwick investigates the relationships between biology, technology, and society. The exhibition presents a unique installation that crosses the boundaries of human metabolism and artistic expression.

Dates: October 11, 2025 - February 22, 2026
Venue: Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM] 
Closed: Tuesdays and New Year holidays
URL: https://tinyurl.com/5e72emh9

Toyota Municipal Museum of Art "Anti-Action: Their Responses and Challenges"

山崎つる子《作品》1963年　兵庫県立美術館蔵（山村コレクション）　© Estate of Tsuruko Yamazaki, courtesy of LADS Gallery, Osaka and Take Ninagawa, Tokyo

Highlighting the contributions of postwar Japanese women artists, this exhibition features about 120 works by 14 creators including Yayoi Kusama and Atsuko Tanaka, re-examining artistic “actions” from feminist perspectives.

Dates: October 4, - November 30, 2025
Venue: Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
Hours: 10:00 - 17:30 (last admission 17:00)
Fee: 1,500 (General), 1,000 (Students), Free (under middle school)
Closed: Mondays (open on 10/13, 11/3 and 24)
URL: https://tinyurl.com/3drjbctz

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo "MOMAT Collection (2025.7.15–10.26)"

菊畑茂久馬《ルーレット》

This comprehensive collection offers highlights of modern and contemporary art in Japan. The 2025 summer–autumn lineup includes works by Robert Rauschenberg in honor of his 100th birthday and a special feature marking the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea. Exhibits rotate significantly each period, offering visitors a unique and fresh experience every time.

Dates: July 15 - October 26, 2025
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (Fridays and Saturdays until 20:00)
Closed: Mondays (Open on 10/13; closed on the following days instead)
Fee: Adults 500, University students 250
URL: https://tinyurl.com/swsbejy6

The Museum of Kyoto "World Heritage: Jomon"

Centered on the Jomon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku—inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021—this exhibition introduces a rich array of artifacts including clay figurines and ornaments excavated from Jomon sites throughout Japan. Discover the deep spirituality and sustainable lifestyle that flourished in harmony with nature over more than 10,000 years.

Dates: October 4 - November 30, 2025
Venue: The Museum of Kyoto
Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (Fridays until 19:30)
Closed: Mondays (Open if Monday is a holiday, then closed the following day)
URL: https://tinyurl.com/mvtr3j22

√K Contemporary "MIKAMI MEME 2025 | Haruko Mikami and the Meme of Creation"

Commemorating the 10th year since Mikami’s passing, this exhibition examines her conceptual legacy alongside works by other contemporary media artists.

Dates: October 18 - November 22, 2025
Venue: √K Contemporary
Hours: 13:00 - 19:00
Closed: Sundays and Mondays (Open on 11/3)
URL: https://root-k.jp/en/

Canadian Embassy Prince Takamado Gallery "Perseverance and Continuity"

Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka_ “Namazu”, washi patchwork (scraps collected over three years), gyotaku and linocut printmaking, natural dye, ink, 70x128”

A collaborative exhibition by Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka and Johnny Niemi that blends washi paper, textiles, and video into immersive installations reflecting on cultural persistence.

Dates: September 19 - December 18, 2025
Venue: Prince Takamado Gallery, Canadian Embassy, Tokyo
Hours: 10:00 - 17:30 (last admission 17:00)
Other: Photo ID required
URL: https://tinyurl.com/2syhb24y

VACANT ROOM "Transpicuous Wilderness"

This group show by Momoko Yoshida, Kazuma Yamamoto, and Kousuke Nishimura seeks to go beyond visual representation, transforming the image into a contact zone with invisible existence.

Dates: September 20 - October 19, 2025
Venue: VACANT ROOM
Hours: 12:00 - 19:00
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays
URL: https://tinyurl.com/54d9uaa2